


i fear the fall

by Random186



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Allusions to rape/sexual assault, Alternate Universe, Angst, Assistant!Cat, Astra was never arrested, CEO!Kara, Cat never had Carter, Clark is 3 years younger than Kara, DEO exists but Alex isn’t part of it, F/F, F/M, Idk Cats intended age but she’s 9 years older than Kara, Kara Astra and Clark don't know Krypton was destroyed, Kara and Clark sent down later, Krypton concept of feeding was different, Lena and Kara are best buds and also fuck buddies, Not everything is as it appears, This is set on a different Earth, dark themes, kryptonian anatomy is different, personalities are still the same though, slowburn, “Honey you’ve got a big storm coming”
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-01-23 00:54:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18539002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random186/pseuds/Random186
Summary: Cat Grant has been a struggling journalist in a world where everyone is trying to buy their way up. Unable to find another job, to keep her going until her big break she interviews to be an assistant to Kara Danvers, the CEO of “Edge News”— a new but popular news outlet, especially for millennials.When Cat Grant discovers a secret, one that could get her killed or kick start her career if revealed, will she risk it even if it costs everything?--Kara Zor-El is broken and lost in a world that isn't her own, but she builds an empire from nothing in hopes of contacting her planet and going home. She's willing to do whatever it takes, anything to further her dream of seeing Krypton one more time.--This will mainly be from Cat's POV, but some chapters will be from Kara's.





	1. Dive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic will have a slower beginning because I have to set up the world without just telling you outright, meaning the first chapters will not be as interesting but do hint at some stuff that will be elaborated on later. Because this will be a long work, I can’t say that I’ll be putting a chapter out each week because it’s likely that won’t happen. I will try to make my updates longer, though.
> 
> So I was inspired by the book “The Young Elites” to make this, if you haven’t read it please do (not required but it’s magnificent)— it’s by Marie Lu, she’s an amazing author and an absolute gem! The plot is no where near similar, but some aspects of characterization will be.
> 
> Rated M for later chapters.
> 
> Last thing, I do not have a beta reader so I'm sorry for any mistakes! I was born in America and grew up using English but I've never had a great grasp on some grammar things because English is hard, haha!

If the coloring of the walls—a light blue mixed with some sort of green—weren’t enough to put her off, the giggling from some “workers” who were just standing by their desks talking were ticking her off. Cat pressed directly above her eyes to help ease the headache, willing herself not to grab for the Ibuprofen she kept in her purse. She doesn’t want to make people think she takes pills during her free time.

The clock was nearing 10:15, it read 10:13, and the other candidate for this assistant job still hadn’t left the CEO’s office yet. Cat glared as some man in a cardigan walked past, causing him to make a detour around a desk to avoid her. She smirked, happy to have intimidated him.

It was 10:15 when the fellow candidate walked out, a grin on his face as he passed. Cat’s glare hardened, but her hope for the job wavered as he waved at her.

“She told me to send you in, good luck in there!” His cheerfulness was real, but Cat could tell he didn’t care enough about giving her any good luck for the job. _Better scratch this off my list, maybe that coffee place I saw is hiring._

Cat stood up and adjusted her clothing, making sure everything was nice and proper. She walked into the office and was met with walls so white she thought she’d entered that room from an episode of Monk, the one that was supposed to be the cleanest in the world. But it wasn’t, there was a carpet, a desk, two couches—it was too full and cluttered to stay entirely clean.

“Catherine Grant?” The woman at the desk squeaked out. She looked like a nervous wreck, like she was the one being interviewed. She remembered that the position had been an assistant for a CEO, was she sure this was the right office?

”Just Cat is fine, thank you,” She paused. “Or Ms. Grant.” The woman stood up and held out her hand, which Cat shook firmly.

”Nice to meet you, Cat. I’m Kara Zor-El, the CEO of Edge News.” Cat was sure if she hadn’t been able to control her facial muscles so well she would’ve frowned. Kara looked too young to have even graduated college with a bachelors degree in journalism, let alone another in business. “Please, sit down.” Cat obliged. “I must know how you can have so many great references like Lois Lane—“ Cat almost growled at the name, even if she was a little happy her rival had been nice enough to be a reference in the first place. “— and have so much experience as a journalist and still not have a job?” Cat cleared her throat.

”It’s not about how good you are, it’s how reliable your sources are. I’ve tried for jobs where I could work as a journalist, but the media outlets these days aren’t as interested in the truth— it’s what will give them the most publicity.” Cat sighed. “I suppose I’m old fashioned, but I prefer news I can trust. That being said, I applied in hopes that I’d have a journalist position, but given the chance to be your assistant I know that it would happen in the future.” Kara blinked and grinned.

”How do you know you can trust Edge News to be truthful?”

“I saw the article you personally wrote about Supergirl and Superman, I’m surprised they even allowed you to talk to them.” Kara’s smile fell, but Cat continued. “There was no bullshit in that article, which I appreciate. Pardon my French.”

”It has been pardoned.” Kara laughed but her face turned slightly pink as she realized Cat didn’t laugh along. “Sorry, usually my business partner is here to keep me on track.” Cat raised an eyebrow.

”Lena Luthor, right?” Kara nodded.

”Yes. While she likes to poke fun, too; she’s much better at separating that from serious matters.” Kara picked up a pen from her desk. “Not that I consider interviews to be serious, but whatever.” Kara muttered, fiddling with the pen cap. Cat froze and stood up.

”Perhaps I should leave, then. I’m only looking for _serious_ offers.” Kara opened her mouth to speak but Cat was already walking out of the office. She heard shuffling behind her and continued to make her way to the elevator. It opened as soon as she hit the “down” button. She pressed once on the button for the first floor and then began poking at the “close door” one until the doors finally closed before a pack of millennials could enter. She sighed in relief and leaned against the back wall, holding on to the handles to keep her from falling.

She thought back to how nonchalant Kara had acted and scoffed. _If you won’t take this seriously I’ll find someone who will, and when I finally build my empire I’ll laugh as you grovel at my feet in hopes of me allowing you to be my assistant_ , Cat smiled, _and then you’ll know how it feels to be underappreciated Miss Kara Zor-El._

The elevator came to a stop on the fourth floor and Cat nearly toppled over. She pressed on the assistance button but there was no tone, which she found odd. If the lights were working, shouldn’t this work too?

The door opened and in walked Kara Zor-El, looking perfectly fine like she hadn’t just ran down forty-six flights of stairs. Although, she probably had her own private elevator.

”Ms. Grant, I apologize for that rude remark— it was a bit uncalled for me to say that interviews aren’t serious. If you’d be willing to come back to my office, Lena Luthor would be joining us and continuing the interview for me.” Cat stared at her for a few moments, causing Kara to move a bit, uncomfortable under her gaze.

”Where would you be? Shouldn’t _you_ be the one deciding on your assistant?”

”Something has come up in the... photography department. Besides, I’ve already chosen my new assistant.” Cat had never felt smaller in her life, and she could barely think past all the bills she needed to pay within the next three weeks. Selling articles to companies for the meager amount they were willing to give wouldn’t help her. “Well?”

”I... I suppose it’s better than walking around for an hour while waiting for the train.” Kara smiled and entered the elevator, pressing the button for the fiftieth floor. “It’s not working, you might want to call tech—“ The elevator began going up and Cat was flabbergasted. “How did you do that? It was broken!”

”Perhaps you accidentally pressed the fourth floor button by accident.” Kara said, but Cat could tell something was off. She had absolutely pushed the first floor button, she was sure of it. And how did Kara know she was on the fourth floor. She shoved her thoughts to the back of her mind.

”Perhaps you’re right, Ms. Zor-El.” All was quiet until they reached the fiftieth floor again, and Kara reached out her hand.

”It was a pleasure to meet you, Cat.” Cat shook it firmly, again, and nodded.

“You, too, Ms. Zor-El.” Cat walked back into the office, where Lena Luthor was standing facing the large window.She cleared her throat to catch the woman’s attention, and Lena motioned for her to sit.

”Ms. Luthor, nice to meet you.”

”Likewise.” Her tone was clipped, and Cat admired the coldness behind her voice. It reminded her of herself. “Kara already went over the first question, but please tell me what you want from Edge News.” Cat explained everything she’d said to Kara and Lena listened silently, still standing.

“You’re quite driven, Ms. Grant. Care to tell me what made you consider journalism? You could’ve been a politician with how much passion you have.” Cat gritted her teeth.

”Politicians are more keen on lying and killing than allowing someone access to the truth, so no thank you.” Lena turned to look at her. “Journalism has been something I’ve wanted to do for a living since I was ten years old and learned about global warming. By the age of twelve I wrote an article about pandas that made my entire fifth period English class cry, including the teacher. I became the editor-in-chief of my schools’ newspaper my freshman year.” Cat sat up proudly in her chair. “I wouldn’t say I chose journalism, I’d say it _chose_ me.” Lena stared at her, almost considering the story before turning back toward the window.

”You have a fiery passion, Ms. Grant, one that obviously can’t be put out. If you are chosen by Kara for this job,” _I won’t be_ , she thought. “Then you’ll definitely be promoted within the next few years, maybe even a year if you’re dedicated enough. I must ask, if you could be writing an article about anything right now, what would it be?” Cat thought for a long moment, she thought about the past and the future and where the world might be.

”I would write about Supergirl and Superman, and how they aren’t as super as their names suggest. And unlike Ms. Danvers, I wouldn’t feel the need to censor some things out. So many people don’t understand how dangerous they really are, we should be warning them.” Lena’s lips quirked upward but then returned to their neutral state.

”That’s an interesting choice. Well, as an assistant would you be able to understand the difference between personal and professional opinion?”

“Of course, I’m not an idiot.” Cat didn’t flinch but she internally slapped herself. “Apologies, I meant to say: Of course, if one can’t remain professional in any setting then how can they expect to find a job anywhere? Personal opinion should always stay out of the workplace, otherwise it would be impossible to remain professional.”

”I like your answer.” Lena sat down and dialed a number on the phone. “Thank you for coming in, Ms. Grant. We’ll be contacting you as soon as possible to let you know if you were chosen for the position or not. Have a good day.” Cat muttered a goodbye in response and left, and making sure she clicked the button for the first floor in the elevator, watching the button light up.

”Those things can be tricky, let me tell you!” The man in the cardigan was holding a box stacked with papers on top, and Cat glared at him again. “Hey don’t get mad at me, the other elevator is broken or else I’d be using it right now. Anyway, the first time I came in after I got hired the elevator would stop at random floors all the time!” He kept on rambling on until he reached the seventh floor and then got off. “My name’s Winn, by the way! Hope you get the job, scary lady!” Cat was pretty sure she was going to kill him.

As Cat approached the first floor, she realized what Winn had said— “ _... the other elevator is broken..._ ”— and she became even more confused about how Kara caught up to her earlier. She was still pondering possibilities by the time she got on the train and could only settle on the possibility that Kara was an athlete of some kind.

”She can’t be an alien or else she would’ve been taken in by the DEO by now...” Cat muttered to herself, almost too wrapped up in her own thoughts to get off at her stop.

Her apartment wasn’t that big or homey. The most color it had was a painting her friend had made during their junior year in college. It depicted a bunch of blue flowers on a hill, below the hill was a brick house and near it a lake. Her friend had called it “Scorpion Grass”, named so after the flowers inhabiting the hill. It was gorgeous, and it was all Cat had left of her.

Everything else in the apartment followed a standard white and black theme. The carpeted floor? White. The couch? Black. The counters? White. The plates and bowls? Black. The only things that couldn’t follow the pattern were silverware and plastic containers, which bothered her but she dealt with it.

Her room was fully made up of white minus the blanket covering her twin bed, which was black. When she had been attending college, she always dreamed of a house like this, but she figured an apartment would have to do for now. She went to her closet and opened it, pajamas were sorted to the left, casual clothes to the right, and work clothes in the middle. She changed into some pajamas, a matching set of silk pants and a shirt she’d received from her dad before his passing, and crawled onto her bed. She read a while until it was past nine and yawned once before setting her book aside and closing her eyes. In her dreams she could hear people screaming.

* * *

 

Cat woke up to her phone ringing, it was loud and annoying and she was pretty sure it was a telemarketer. She picked up the phone and glanced at it, there was a number but no name and she groaned.

”Hello?” She answered, not really caring if she sounded awake or not. Telemarketers really shouldn’t be annoying her at 5:46 in the morning.

”Hi, is this Catherine Grant?”

”Just Cat, but yes.” Cat didn’t know if she’d have the patience to wait and hear what she had to say.

”Hi, Ms. Grant! I’m patching you through to Ms. Zor-El, if she doesn’t answer immediately please stay on the line, she gets lost in her work but she’ll answer eventually.” Cat immediately snapped awake, the tiredness not gone but placed in the background.

”Alright.” There was a click and she began listening to jazz music while she waited. After three minutes she reached for a new book to read and opened to the first page. By the time the music shut off, signaling the call had been answered, she was on page thirty-one.

”Hello?”

”Ms. Zor-El, it’s Ms. Grant from yesterday.” There was a crash in the background.

”Hey, Ms. Grant! Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was working on a project in the photography department and completely zoned out.” Kara sounded out of breath, and Cat could only wonder what she could’ve possibly done to exhaust herself when running down almost fifty flights of stairs didn’t do anything at all.

”It’s fine, what is this about?”

”Did Denise not tell you? I swear she always has me telling people things.” Cat assumed Denise was the lady who’d contacted her. “Anyway, she was supposed to call and inform you that you’ve been—“

”Rejected, I know.” There was silence on the other line before Cat heard laughter. “What’s so funny?”

”You weren’t rejected, Cat! If you had been, Denise wouldn’t forward you to me.”

”But yesterday, you said you’d already chose someone for the position.” Cat could only describe her current state as shock. “And that guy you interviewed before me, he was so much younger and you almost kept him past my time.”

”Mike? That douchebag?” Kara laughed even more and Cat still remained puzzled. “He was flirting with me the whole interview, could barely get rid of him until I told him I had to interview you as well. I chose you, Ms. Grant.”

”He seemed so confident he’d gotten the job is just assumed he did.”

”He was probably trying to psych you out, make you more nervous or something. Anyway, congrats! You’ll have to come in later today for paperwork and an orientation. Let’s say 11:30, sound good?” Cat felt a little lighter now, like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. “Cat?”

”Yeah, 11:30 is just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is @ifearthefall
> 
> I’ll be posting updates about the latest chapters there and my progress.


	2. Orientation & The Balcony

Cat walked into Edge News holding her head high. She was wearing a gray blazer and a gray skirt, one of the more generic outfits she owned and bought herself, half of her wardrobe being items sent by her mother nowadays. The elevator was a bit more crowded and the halls were filled with more people now that it was morning, nearing afternoon.

She nearly said a whole slew of profanities as she noticed the cardigan man, Winn, was standing next to her as the elevator went up.

”I’m assuming you got the job, then! That means we’ll be coworkers.” She glared at him. “Coworkers that avoid each other as best they can.” Cat nodded in approval and looked forward again as he tried to chat her ear off. He was in the middle of a story about his fathers’ toy store when they reached the fiftieth floor and she quickly rushed off to Kara’s office. He, luckily, went the opposite direction to a desk on the far side of the elevator, and she walked up to the office doors with purpose.

It was precisely 11:30 as she entered, which she timed beforehand, and she was proud of her time management skills before she realized no one was there.

”You’ve got to be frickin’ kidding me.” She approached the hideous egg-shell white couch in the corner and took a seat, looking over the magazines as she waited. It ranged from stuff from Metropolis all the way to Zimbabwe and she wondered how far Kara’s connections went.

“Ms. Grant, I presume?” A young man had asked, holding up some papers. She nodded and he motioned her to follow. “No time for chitchat I’m afraid, but I’m James Olsen and I’ll be giving you the orientation as well as helping you fill out the paperwork. Sadly, Kara had to leave for business at L-Corp; but, she has given me strict instruction not to let you leave without filling out the paperwork and explaining more about what you’ll be doing.”

“Are you the photographer they hired from The Daily Planet?”

”Yes, how did you know that?”

”Lois talked highly of a man called Jimmy Olsen when I worked with her, I assume Jimmy was a nickname.” James smiled slightly.

”Yeah, only for my mother and my friend, Clark Kent, though but you can call me Jimmy if it’s easier to remember.” He began leaving and Cat quickly followed after him. “Let’s start with the most important place of all,” He gestured towards a sign and Cat couldn’t help the mirth she felt at the implication. “The bathrooms! The women’s restroom is to the left and the men’s to the right, I got those mixed up when I first started working here and it was... not fun.”

”Too big an adventure for you, James?” James shuddered.

”You have  _no_ idea.” He continued on and explained the workspace and gave her a tour of the entire building. By the time they’d reached the photography department on the fifth floor it was already 2. “Now, the photography department is pretty much my living space, so don’t pay any attention to the mess please. Down here I work with two other photographers and a few graphic artists to determine how a picture should be edited,  _if_ it should be edited, fonts for the covers of the magazine, etcetera. The CEO, yours and everyone else’s boss, spends a lot of time down here as well for certain projects and portfolios. She’s a very hands on person and loves to get involved with her employees work.”

”Does she spend any time in her office at all?” James sighed and rubs his eyes.

”I want to say yes, but the truth is she really doesn’t. She’s a very fidgety person and loves to be on the move or working. She hates her office more than any place in the building, she only has it for the balcony.” 

“The balcony?”

”Yes, if you can’t find her and no one else knows where she is, she’ll most definitely be there.” James picked up a photograph off his desk and contemplated it. “She does all her work out there, minus interviews and some company stuff she has to deal with in her office or the meeting room.” Cat glanced at the photograph and realized it was of Hank Henshaw, the director of the DEO.

”What interest does Edge News have in Hank Henshaw?” James eyes’ widen, looking almost offended. “What? Am I missing something?” James swallows and sets down the photograph before looking Cat in the eyes.

”We got an inside scoop about him, is all. Once you have to review the article you’ll understand.”

”Have to?”

”Oh yeah! One aspect of your job will be to read over and correct any mistakes done by Kara. She’s a little impatient sometimes and makes some spelling errors, English is a bit hard for her. Still her writing is unique and riveting, I think you’ll enjoy her articles.”

”Why is English “a bit hard” for her?”

”Oh, well perhaps it would be better if she told you about it. Just be kind, judgement is frowned upon here at Edge News.” Cat tried to speak again but James waltzed right past her and gestures for her to follow. “Time for you to fill out your paperwork and have me tell you about what Kara expects out of you as her assistant.” She walked out of the department and they enter the elevator, James hit the button to take them back to the fiftieth floor and began to speak.

”Kara comes in every morning to the photography department around 5, but she doesn’t head up to her office until 6. You should be here every morning at 5:45, with her coffee order from Noonan’s and to get her mail, if there is any.” Cat was typing up the schedule into her phone as fast as possible, he slowed down a bit and she felt a little frustrated that he was being sympathetic towards her slow phone-typing skills. “Your lunch will be anytime after 10, just no later than 3. You’re allowed to store your lunch in the mini fridge below your desk, which I’ll show you when we finally reach our floor. One thing you should know about this job is that you can’t leave until Kara leaves unless she tells you otherwise.”

”What if I wanted to stay until after she leaves?” James frowned and appeared surprised, but he chuckled after a second and shook his head.

”You really are as driven as Lena said, Ms. Grant.”

”Of course I am, I have a promotion in my future and only I can determine how soon through my hard work.”

”Well said.” The elevator doors opened and James motioned to the desk sitting next to the office. It faced away from the elevators and had a top of the line laptop for Cat to read emails and correct grammar on articles. “As you can see, the fridge is directly to the right, where the wall plug-in is. We encourage you not to use your phone at work, but if you do need to charge it then go right ahead— everyone does it anyway.” Cat ran her hand over the smooth, dark wood.

”There wasn’t a desk here this morning, and I doubt someone would lug this thing up those stairs. Do you have a storage room for this or something?” James tensed up.

”Yes, I must’ve forgotten to show you. It’s down the hall with the private offices over there.” James pointed and Cat nodded.

”Alright...” She was a little suspicious, but wouldn’t risk her job for some stereotypical journalist fever. She was here to reach new heights, not to be fired.

“Lets get started on that paperwork, shall we? First things first, you gotta write down your name.” It took about a half hour to finish up the paperwork, it was meticulous and required information for security systems and protocol. She was craving peaches by the time they were done, her least favorite fruit. “Thank you! I also need you to sign this contract.” Cat took the parchment in his hand and skimmed through it, stopping at the employment clause.

””You are not able to quit your job unless it is under dire circumstances.”” James winced.

”I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t see that.”

”Is this some sort of sex ring? Blink twice if yes.” James sighed.

”It’s a security problem we’ve had. People would get hired, find out information, and then quit and report back to rival companies. There’s another clause that allows you to quit freely so long as you sign a secrecy contract.” Cat considered and then signed the contract.

“I haven’t been given any reason not to trust this company or the people in it.” She flitted her eyes to Winn and then back to James. “Not yet, anyway. Besides, what good would spilling secrets do for anyone? I'd get a couple of bucks out of the deal and then be out of a job, it’s a waste of time.”

“I’m glad you see it that way, Ms. Grant. Welcome to Edge News.”

 

* * *

 

“Ms. Grant, I’m the IT guy not a hobbit.” Cat narrowed her eyes at him.

”Could’ve fooled me.” Winn had been trying to help her figure out why she couldn’t log into her laptop for the last hour. She had told James she wouldn’t be working, but she just wanted a feel of the office before she came in officially on Tuesday. “Why can’t you figure out a simple password? Who was the last person to have this computer?”

”Um, her name was Siobhan. Knowing her she’d probably use something like “IHATEWINNSCHOTT’SGUTSANDHOPEHEDIES” all caps.” Cat typed it in and gasped.

”It worked!”

”Really?”

”No, you buffoon.” Cat grunted and fiddled with her skirt. “Why don’t you just restart the entire computer? Entire system wipe or whatever.”

”I could but I just wanted to see if she did anything non-company related.” Cat stood up.

”You know what, go for it. If you can’t figure it out within the next hour wipe it or get me a new computer.” She looked at his face. “ _Please_.” Winn nodded and began typing in some code and Cat decided to head toward the famous balcony James has mentioned today.

Cat had noticed the small glass door during her interview but had figured it was just a large window. As she opened it and looked out, she was surprised to see a large space made of stone, including the railing. There was a couch, two chairs, and a small coffee table all colored blue. There was also a beautiful flower growing in the far corner, which Cat approaches.

The flower was red, the petals far too large for the stem. She wondered if it had been a mutation of some sort. But then why would Kara have it? She hesitantly stuck her hand out to it and almost touched a petal before she heard someone step onto the balcony with her.

”I wouldn’t touch it unless you want your hand to be torn off.” Cat quickly withdrew her hand and turned back to see Kara dressed casually. Her appearance was a little different from yesterday. Her hair was down and she was wearing glasses, large ones that made her seem small even though Kara was taller than her when Cat wore heels.

”Ms. Zor-El, how was L-Corp?” Kara flopped down on the couch and Cat settled in to the chair closest to her.

“The meeting was long and boring. Sometimes I wonder why Lena makes me go when she knows I’ll just zone out.” Cat twitched, a little annoyed that this was her boss.

”Are you like that with meetings here?” Kara gave a confused look.

”No, of course not. The business here actually affects Edge News.”

”Then why be affiliated with L-Corp at all if it brings nothing to the company?” Kara shrugged.

”You’ll learn in time. It actually is quite beneficial but you’re a new employee, I wait at least a month to inform my assistants.” Cat hummed in response. “Besides, you’ll be taking notes for me during meetings now.”

”I will?” Kara sat up straight.

”Yeah, did James not tell you? Because if he didn’t then he’s fired.”

”He did, I must have forgotten. Won’t happen again.” Cat stammered. Kara gazed at her before moving it to the city.

”I know he didn’t, and it was purposeful. I wanted to see if you were the type to throw someone under a bus. Nice to know you aren’t.”

”Oh.”

”We’re in need of loyal employees, all these betrayals in the media have been skyrocketing since last year.”

”I know what you mean.” And she did. Cat had read every article that referred to the incident and had even known someone involved in one instance. It had been hard to rebuild some media outlets and others just fell apart.

”Well, if you have any questions now is the time to ask.”

”What’s your coffee order from Noonan’s?” It was less of a question and more of a demand and Kara removed her glasses and set the aside.

”Hold on, its on my phone. I’ll message it to you.”

Cat received a message that read:  _Spiced pumpkin extra foam and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top._

”You can’t remember it off the top of your head?” Kara blushed and fidgeted.

”I have a lot of important business to think about, remembering a coffee order isn’t one of them, sadly.”

”No need to explain yourself, I was just teasing.” Kara turned a brighter shade of red and muttered something in response. “Anyway Ms. Zor-El, I’ll be taking my leave. I’ll see you Tuesday at 6.” Kara scrunched her eyebrows.

”Why are you coming in that early?”

”James told me you come in at 5 so I should be here by 6.”

”I mean, it is supposed to be company policy but it’s not something I’m too strict about so long as you’re here before 8.”

”I’ll still be coming in around 6, who knows what kind of work I’ll be doing— well, apart from you of course.” Kara changed position so she was lying down on the couch, eyes set on the sky. She’d almost rolled over her glasses but Kara didn’t notice and Cat told herself to remind Kara before she left.

“You have a lot of determination for an assistant job, Cat.”

”It’s not just an assistant job, Ms. Zor-El.” Kara closed her eyes.

“Then what is it?” Cat was silent and Kara giggled. “I know what you mean, I worked as an assistant once, too.” Cat watched the clouds move over the city, and stood up as she realized how late it was getting.

”I’ll be taking my leave now, Ms. Zor-El, see you Tuesday.” She repeated.

”See ya.” Cat glanced back to the glasses dangling over the couches edge and grabbed them, holding them above Kara’s face.

”Don’t break these, we can’t have you walking the streets blind.” Kara opened her eyes slowly before snatching the glasses from Cat’s hand.

”Thanks.” She stammered, hastily putting them on.

”Mhm.” Cat left to the elevator before stopping and looking toward the stairs. “I might as well try them out.” She grumbled. As she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the lack of light. The bulb was working, but it was still dark. She began her trek down and had to stop every few floors before she kept going.  _How the hell did she do this, must have jumped all the stairs._ By the time she made it down to the ground floor she was breathing heavily and wasn’t wearing her heels.

She walked past a someone from security who watched her limp to the doors. He opened them for her and she nodded in thanks.

”Remind me never to take the stairs again.” He didn’t smile but gave a thumbs up.

”Noted.”


	3. Coffee & Interns

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we don’t have any cinnamon in stock.” Cat’s eye twitched and she scrunched her jeans in her hands.

”It’s 5:30 and you already ran out?” The barista was nervous and uncomfortable, flinching back when Cat spoke.

”No, ma’am, we ran out yesterday and won’t get any more until tonight.” Cat groaned.

”Alright, well, is there a store anywhere nearby where I could purchase some? It’s important.” The barista pointed across the street to a drug store and Cat paid her for the drink before crossing the street. One thing she loved about early mornings was the lack of traffic and noise, but that was pretty much all she appreciated.

The bell rang loudly as she walked in, alerting the store clerk to her presence. He didn’t say anything as she walked to the back where they kept some foods, grabbing a bottle of cinnamon and slammed it down on the counter.

”Just that for you?” Cat grunted in response, pulling out a five dollar bill. He gave her change and she opened the cup holding the spiced pumpkin latte before sprinkling some in. “Why would you buy a whole bottle of cinnamon just for a dash of it?” She glared at him, which caused him to go back to his magazine. Cat closed the cup and placed it back in the cup holder, shoving the closed (she checked twice) cinnamon bottle into her purse.

”Have a good day!” The clerk shouted from behind her. She waved back to him to try and be polite, but said nothing. The walk to Edge News only took a few minutes and then she was inside, asking the same security guard she’d seen last she was here where the mail was kept.

”The mail room is downstairs Miss...?”

”Ms. Grant. And can the elevator take me there?” He nodded.

”It’s in the basement.” She considered her options and handed him the cup holder.

”Hold this, please. I don’t want it to get colder than it has to.” He obliges and she headed to the elevator. Low and behold, Cardigan Man Winn was also going in.

”Hey, Ms. Grant! I fixed the computer.”

”Glad to know you’re competent. Did you find anything from Ms. Siobhan?” She clicked the basement button.

”I found a note that said “Fuck you”, I assumed that was for me.” The elevator began going down.

”How kind of her. What exactly did you do to this girl?” Winn turned a bright red and muttered something under his breath. “What was that?”

”I may have slept with her a few times and then told her I wasn’t looking for a relationship.” Cat slapped his shoulder lightly.

”What type of man are you? At least tell her why!”

”I- I did! She was clingy and so dramatic! I got tired of it.”

”I suppose you can’t change the past.” They stood there for a minute before the elevator stopped and dinged. “Help me with the mail.” Winn’s face was pale as flour and he stepped backward.

”This isn’t the office?” Cat shook her head.

”No, and if there’s any mail for Ms. Zor-El you should help me carry it.” Cat dragged him by the wrist out of he elevator and towards the mail room.

It was bright and full of yellow-orange envelopes. There were a few people maneuvering around and attempting to organize the mail. One of the workers was at a desk, typing away on her phone. Cat had to ring the little bell on the edge of the desk to get her attention.

”I’m here to pick up Ms. Zor-El’s mail, please.” She said it as sweetly as possible, and the woman nodded.

”ZOR-EL!” She yelled, and the other workers scrambled to another side of the room. The picked up a giant stack of boxes piled with envelopes and letters, setting it down on the desk. “Sign for it.” The woman handed her a clipboard with names on it. Cat wrote down her name and the date, opening her phone to check the time.

”It’s 5:54?” She scribbled the time and handed it back to the woman before calling Winn to help her. He grabbed the boxes and Cat carried the envelopes, trying to hurry up the process.

”I need to stop at the first floor to grab the coffee and then we can go up.” Cat said as they went up. Surprisingly, the security guard had made the coffee warmer than when she arrived.

”I put it on my coffee heater.” Cat thanked him and swiftly entered the elevator again, Winn hitting the button for her.

”I’d never thought I’d see you nervous, Ms. Grant. These past few times you’ve been so confident.”

”Those past few times weren’t work days.” She snapped. She felt a little sorry, but didn’t apologize. She wasn’t here to make friends, even if an IT guy was helpful to have around.

He followed her to her desk and placed the boxes down on the ground, Cat dropped the envelopes in her little wire mail basket.

”When do you think Ms. Zor-El will be arriving? It’s already 6.” Winn shrugged.

”She isn’t always on time, she gets distracted by work. If she’s not here by 6:30 I’d recommend calling the photography department and asking.” Cat looked at her phone and felt a little helpless.

”How do I... How do I call them?” Winn’s face lit up and he explained to her how the phone worked in the building, even writing down some more important numbers and sticking them on the machine. “Thank you, Winn.”

”It’s no problem, Ms. Grant!” As he went over to his desk to play Minecraft or other mindless games, Cat set up her computer password and employee email. The elevator dinged at 6:25 and she stood up expectantly, but was met with some other employees who were arriving early. She sighed and plopped down into her chair before dialing the photography department, too anxious to wait any longer. The phone rang for quite a bit before being answered.

”Hello?” It was James, and he sounded rushed.

”Hi James, it’s Cat Grant. I’m calling to see if Ms. Zor-El is with you.”

”She is, let me hand you over.” There was some movement.

”Hello?”

”Hi Ms. Zor-El. I’m calling to inform you that you have mail and coffee waiting for you upstairs. The coffee may be a little cold now, though.”

”Shoot! Sorry, I’ll be right up.” The line went dead and Cat waited patiently. Kara arrived from the elevator about five minutes later.

”Good morning everyone!” Almost everyone shouted out a greeting of some kind, and Cat held out Kara’s coffee.

”Good morning, Ms. Zor-El. Here’s your coffee.” Kara took it and faltered when she noticed all the mail. “I’m not sure why there’s so many, but it was light enough to carry. I’m not sure about the boxes, though; Winslow carried those.”

”Boxes?” Cat gestures to the three sitting on the floor and Kara sighed, bending down to pick them up.

”Here let me help you—“

”I got it.” Kara lifted the boxes up with ease and Cat watched, flabbergasted. She made it seem like there was nothing inside. “If you could bring the other mail that would be nice.” Cat followed after her and set the mail down on her desk but Kara shook her head. “I’ll be out on the balcony.” Cat corrected herself and opened the door, allowing Kara to step outside and to place the boxes down. Cat turned to leave as she set the mail down carefully on the coffee table and put a paperweight on it.

”Thank you, Cat. If you check your email you should have the article I sent you. I’d like you to review it, please.”

”Yes, Ms. Zor-El.” Cat felt a hand on her shoulder and tore herself away.

”Sorry.” Kara said softly. “I was just gonna say you can call me Kara.”

”I’d prefer to call you Ms. Zor-El.” Kara didn’t say anything, only stalked over to the couch and sat down. Cat took her leave and was stationed at her desk, looking over the article. It wasn’t the one about Hank Henshaw, like she’d hoped; but, it was about Max Lord and his ever growing anti-alien company.

Cat had heard of Max Lord before, he sold weapons and protection against alien life forms. His most famous invention was the kryptonite gun, which had the ability to wipe out Kryptonians. Sadly, for him, the DEO destroyed it.

The article talked about his past work and what he was trying to do for the future. One answer had really caught her eye.

_Interviewer:_

_Why do you believe all alien life forms to be terrorists?_

_Max Lord:_

_“It’s not a belief, it’s a fact. If I wanted to rely on something non-human to help me with anything, I’d choose a dog. Aliens are not people and shouldn’t be treated like such, we barely have enough space on earth as it is— we don’t need their kind taking up anymore room. The fact that some people view them as friends is difficult for me to understand. How can you be friends if you can’t even understand them? How can you be friends when all they do is destroy? Think back to the harbor incident in Seattle, or the fire in Romania. Aliens cannot be trusted._

Cat thought it was interesting how someone who had talked to Superman and Supergirl on several occasions could be so cynical. Although, she figured that he talked to them more for investigative purposes and to stay on their good side. Lord really hated the Kryptonians more than anything on Earth. Cat couldn’t blame him, but his desire to kill and alienate, well, alienate aliens was a step too far. She could tell he probably would deport any immigrants from the states as well, which made her blood boil. Cat shook her head to clear her mind and continued to review the article. She made a few adjustments here and there with wording and corrected some grammar mistakes, but otherwise it was good. She printed it off, hearing the printer whir helped a little with a headache she'd gotten, and walked into Kara's office.

Unsurprisingly, Kara was not there. Cat stepped onto the balcony and could hear some mumbling coming from her boss, who was reading some papers she'd most likely gotten in the mail. Cat knocked on the side of the wall, feeling a bit idiotic about it, before walking over to a chair.

"Hello, Ms. Zor-El; I finished reviewing the draft for your article." Kara sat up abruptly and pushed her glasses up farther on her nose.

"Well? Is it worthy?" Cat handed over the printed article.

"I've highlighted some things to correct, but other than that it's ready for release." Kara flashed her a grin and took the document from her, reading it over.

"You're very articulate."

"Thank you, I try my best." Kara continued to read her notes and nodded her approval when she was finished.

"You make a pretty good assistant," Cat was about to thank her but was cut off. "My last one, she was good, too; but... she was a bit more interested in personal relations in the office than trying to be better at her job." Kara rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I'm so tired, I wish I could take a nap."

"The Sun does have that affect on people."

"Yes, but outside is where I prefer to work I'm afraid." Kara looked thoughtful for a moment before slamming her fist on the table. "I need twenty copies of this email-- I'll send it to you-- fifty of these documents, they're required for a meeting we'll be having next week. I need you to RSVP for that dinner at Jacques, tell them maybe it'll really depend on my mood for that night, and I'll need you to send out invitations for the banquet next month." Cat wrote down everything on her phone, experiencing a bit of brain lag when she heard the last item.

"We're holding a banquet? Are we prepared for it?"

"We'll be working on it for the next four and a half weeks. You'll be in charge of invitations, how we should set-up the tables and decorations and other stuff, and the theme. Perhaps keep it lighthearted." Cat was dumbfounded but wrote it down anyway. "Also, we have a meeting tomorrow at 2, make sure to take a lunch break before then." Kara went back to whatever she was doing before and Cat picked up the documents she needed for copying.

"Yes, Ms. Zor-El."

* * *

Cat was still working on getting the invitations all sent out--mainly to donators and big names that could help with popularity, but also various media outlets that could use a little boost of their own--and organizing an outline for the table placement. She'd gotten the copies done an hour ago, all on her desk and ready to be given to Kara whenever she decided to come inside. Cat was on the verge of a mental breakdown when she noticed it was almost 3 and she hadn't taken a lunch break yet.

"Shit." She looked around for Winn but didn't see him anywhere and she held the outline further from her face to make sure some details were correct. There was a young, scrawny co-worker in the corner and she called her over immediately. "I need your honest opinion, how does this look as a banquet set-up?"

"It looks, um, it-- it looks decent." She stuttered out. Cat sighed and breathed in slowly and out even slower, trying to calm her heart rate.

"Look, I need a lunch break and someone to watch my desk."

"I--I'm just an intern, I'm not really trained--"

"All you have to do is sit down, make sure to answer the phone and write down notes--" Cat tapped the notepad near the phone. "--on this, and make sure no one walks right into Ms. Zor-El’s office unless they have an appointment set up. Can you handle that... what's your name?"

"Eve."

"Can you handle that, Eve?" She nodded and blushed ferociously. "Good, I'll be back in a half hour."

Cat had decided on Noonan's earlier that day for lunch and her stomach was decently full from one of their sandwiches and a lemonade. Everything was fine until she opened up her phone to find three missed calls from Kara and another from Winn. Winn had left a voicemail, but Kara hadn't and she threw her napkin away and began walking back before she dared to listen.

" _Hey, Ms. Grant, please hurry back because Kara is a little pissed that you weren't here to handle this. Can't really explain it over the phone so yeah, call back when you get this."_   Cat hit the call button and Winn immediately picked up.

"Thank God, Ms. Grant I think she's gonna kill us--there's this scary man here who keeps asking about Kara and the work she does and he's brought in these other people who are in uniforms and searching the place--"

"Winn, slow down. What exactly do you mean they're searching the place? For what?"

"They think Kara is working with some sort of alien criminal, it's pretty bad. Lena is supposed to be here soon to kick them in the nuts with the rights and laws of the company." The security guy opened the door for her and she mouthed 'thank you' before going into the elevators.

"I should've taken my lunch break at 12." Cat muttered. "Why is Kara mad at me, I was told I'm allowed a lunch break between 12 and 3:30 since the last call for it is 3. It is 3 right? I might have to have a word with James if it isn't."

"You're right, Ms. Grant, you're allowed a half hour lunch break."

"Exactly, and I left an intern there to keep watch. Why isn't she being chewed out?" On the other line, Cat could hear Winn tapping his fingers on his keyboard.

"Was it the one with blonde hair? Because she's the most anxious intern we've had to date. She probably ran out of there as soon as she saw the FBI badge." This drew Cat’s attention and the journalist in her perked up.

”The FBI?”

”Yeah.” Cat one for a fact that the FBI has better things to do than to mess with alien affairs. The elevator doors opened and she hung up, slipping past the crowd of people to Winn’s desk.

“I’m pretty sure they aren’t FBI agents, Winslow.” Winn jumped in his chair.

”Don't sneak up on people like that!” He exclaimed. “But what do you mean?” Cat rolled her eyes.

”The FBI has other things to do than meddle with accusations, I’m assuming it’s people more interested in bringing Supergirl in or erasing information than arresting the CEO of a news company.”

”The DEO.” Winn sounded amazed and tried to see over the sea of people, succeeding. “It’s actually Hank Henshaw! I didn’t even notice.” At the mention of Hank, Cat could feel herself go pale. She’d heard of the man and what he’d done to any alien refugee that resisted his arrest. It troubled her that he was here in the office.

Cat had never been against aliens joining humans on Earth and disagreed with the methods people took to get rid of them. It wasn’t too long ago people were thinking the same thing about black people and other indigenous people.

”I don’t like the sound of that, why would he ever set foot outside his office unless they were going after an alien?” Winn stopped typing on his laptop and grumbled to himself about how security protocol needed an upgrade.

”I’ll make sure they never get a single file from Kara’s computer, she wouldn’t ever work with Supergirl! The DEO must be out of their mind.” Cat decided to try and push through everyone to get to Kara’s office, though it did take quite a few minutes. When she’d reached the front of the doors, being guarded by two of Hank’s goons, she noticed Kara talking animatedly with Hank and another woman. Hank was obviously angry and was shouting loud enough for Cat to almost— just almost— make out what he was saying.

The woman next to him was shorter than the two, shorter than Cat for that matter, and was trying to keep her composure. Her brown hair was cut to her shoulders and she was glaring at Kara. In fact, she looked almost familiar to Cat in some way. Cat was lost in her thoughts trying to figure out who she was when she noticed Kara had turned her glare to her and made it clear that Cat was to be inside the office  _now_.

“You can’t go in.” One of the goons spoke, a sneer on his face.

”Like hell I can’t, if you get me fired from my job I’ll make sure to do the same to you.” He scoffed and Cat nearly growled in frustration. “Look, if I don’t go in there in the next ten seconds I won’t be afraid to go outside and scale the building.” He squinted his eyes at her before sighing and letting her pass. Now she had Kara to deal with.

”Cat, would you mind telling me why I was interrupted from my work by the DEO with you nowhere to be seen?” Kara was taking the passive aggressive route, and Cat didn’t miss the fury reflected in her eyes.

”I took my lunch break and left an intern at my desk,” Cat explained as calmly as she could, the urge to start an argument was strong and difficult to resist. “I’m not sure where she disappeared to, I even told her to make sure no one came in.” She moved on to Hank. “Do you even have a warrant to look through her things? Or a motive?” Hank shuffled his feet.

”Ms. Zor-El intends to publish details that cannot be released to the public.”

”That doesn’t answer my question.” Hank clenched his jaw.

”No, I do not; but, the details were private.”

”You didn’t tell me to leave it out, Mr. Henshaw. I’m not breaking any laws.” Kara’s tone was cold.

”Legally speaking, Ms. Zor-El is in the right, sir.” The woman said, drawing Cat’s attention.

“Who are you?” Cat asked.

”Lucy Lane, I’m the assistant director of the DEO and I work in legal matters as well.” Lucy held out her hand, which Cat rejected.

”Lois’ younger sister, I’m assuming. How lovely.” Cat snarked.

”I’m not my sister, and I’d appreciate if you’d focus on the matter at hand. Like I said, sir, if what Kara said is true then there’s nothing we can do. Especially since you don’t have a warrant.” Hank’s eyebrows scrunched together and he stomped out, his goons following him. “I apologize, I’m not sure what he’s so worried about.” Kara narrowed her eyes at Lucy and stalked back to the balcony.

”Just make sure it doesn’t happen again, thanks.” Kara was at the sliding door before she stopped. “Cat, join me on the balcony in fifteen minutes.”

”Yes, Ms. Zor-El.”  _God_ , Cat really needed a drink.


End file.
